Toy



TOY

Filed oct. 26, 1959 4 sheets-sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

A TT ORNEYS.

May 2s, 1940.

D, K. BocK TOY Filed Oct. 26, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 A TT ORNEYS.

' D. K. BocK TOY Filed oct. 2e, 1939 4 sheets-sheet 4 I@if 5.11BO0 35'@ JNVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented May 28, 1940 y UNITED STATES TOY Diedrich K. Bock, Buffalo, N. Y. Application October 26, 1939, Serial No.301`,510

4 Claims.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a toy, adapted to reproduce sufliciently for the purposes of amusement, the operations which take place in the manipulation of 5 a dispensing pump for motor fuel.

The invention aims to provide novel means whereby the constituent parts of the device may be assembled readily and be held in operative relation to each other. Another object of the invention is to improve the construction of the mechanism which actuates the indicating dials. A further object of the invention-is to supply a simple but effective means under the control of an operator whereby the operation of a dispensing pump maybe reproduced in a` toy, without the actual use of liquid of any kind.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhancethe utility of devices of that type to which the present in- 20 vention appertains.

With the above and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of con- 25 struction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the vprecise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the'invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows in elevation, a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section at right angles to the cutting plane in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of the supporting frame;

Fig. 5 is a perspective showing a portion of the pedestal; I

Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken through the pedestal and associated parts;

Fig. 7 is a perspective showing the pawl; Fig. 8 is a vertical section disclosing a modification; Fig. 9 is a perspective showing the pawl used in connection with that form of the invention which is shown in Fig. 8.

The device forming the subject matter of this application preferably is Amade of sheet metal and includes a support, denoted as a whole by the letter S. The support S has the general appearance of a dispensing pump for motor fuel. The support S comprises an inverted cup-shaped base I. An upright, trough-shaped frame 2, shown in Fig. 4, is supported on the base I.

, will cooperate with the groove I9.

(o1. isf-39) and is provided at its top with aninwardly pro-l jecting flange 3. For the reenforcement of the frame 2, it may be provided on its longitudinal edges with inwardly projecting flanges 4. The frame 2 is equipped at its lower end withdownwardly. extended tongues 5, which lare extended through holes in the top of the base I, the tongues being clinched against the top of the base. Wings 6 are struck outwardly from the sides of the frame 2,v the wings having reduced tongues 'I defining transverse shoulders 8.

A hollow pedestal 9 is supported on-the base I and is disposed about the frame'2. As indicated in-Fig. 5, the pedestal 9 is composed of two laterally separable parts, having inwardlyolset lugs I9, the lugs of onepart overlapping the inner surface of the other of saidparts, to hold them in alinement. 'Ihe parts of the pedes tal 9 are supplied with openings II,l vshown in Fig. 5. The shoulders 8 of thewings 9 on the frame 2 engage the inner surface of the parts of the pedestal 9, the tongues 'I being extended 2. The parts of the 'pedestal 9 are supplied at l l their upper ends with cooperating ynotches I2, 4one of which is shown in Fig. 5. The top of the pedestal 9 rests on the top flange 3 of the frame 2, as can be seen in Fig. 3. The numeral I4 indicates an ornamental head provided with a reduced neck I5 having a circumscribing groove I6. The vtransversely-slit flange 3 of the frame 2'of Fig. 4 is turned in andA engaged in the groove I6, and when the parts of the pedestal 9 (Fig. 5l) are tted together, theV notches I2 in the upper ends of the parts 9 Thus, the head I4 is held securely assembled with the upper part of the support S, as shown in Fig. 3. Near its upper end, the pedestal 9 is provided with oppositely disposed, inset face plates I1, having openings I8. A winding shaft I9is journaled for rotation in the face plates Il and in the sides of the frame 2. Turning buttons 29 are secured to the ends of the shaft I9, outwardly of the face plates Il. Dials 2l are secured to the shaft I9, inwardlyy of the face plates I '1, the dials being provided'with numerals 22 which, Awhen the shaft I9 is rotated, are made visible through the openings I8, as in Fig. 1.

A gear wheel 23 is secured to the shaft I9, within vthe frame 2.v A helical spring 24 is disposed about the shaft I9, one end of the `spring being connected to the gear wheel 23, the opposite end ofthe spring being connected to the frame 2. The tendency of the spring 2t is to rotate the shaft i9 and cause the zero of the scale 22 to retire from the opening i8, a numeral on the scale appearing at the opening, to denote the number of gallons of fuel dispensed. One of the side portions of the frame 2 and the gear wheel 23 are furnished with coacting transverse projections 25, clearly shown inFigs. 2 and 3. The function of the projections 25 is to stop the rotation of the dial 2|, with the zero mark exposed at the reset, and to stop the rotation of the dial when the highest numeral thereon is exposed.

By means of either of the buttons 26, the shaft |55 may be rotated until any selected one of the numerals 22 on the dial 2| appears at the opening, but the buttons are used generally to reset the dials 2| to zero. After the shaft lil has been rotated by an operator as aforesaid, it is desirable to hold the shaft against rotation, responsive to the spring 2d. This is accomplished through the instrumentality of a pawl 2G, adapted to engage the gear Wheel 23, the pawl appearing in place in Figs. 2 and 3, and in detail in Fig. 7. The pawl 2E is pivotally .mounted at 2'! on. the frame 2, and is urged by a frame-carried spring 28 to cooperate with the gear wheel 23. The pawl 26 has a laterally extended arm 29, forming part of the means whereby the pawl is released, at the will of an operator, from the gear wheel 23. That means will be discussed hereinafter.

The gear wheel 23 on the shaft I9 meshes with a pinion 3l) on the initial shaft 3l of a governor train comprising as many other shafts 32 as may be considered expedient or necessary, the shafts 32 being mounted to rotate in the frame 2, the ultimate one of the shafts 32 being provided with an air-beater 33. The gear and pinion connections 32 between the shafts of the governor train are no more than conventional clock-work details, which need not be described element by element, in view of the showing of Fig. 3.

As to the means whereby the pawl 25 is released from the combined gear and ratchet wheel 23, it will be observed when Fig.`2 is noted, that one end of a flexible guide and shield extends through an opening ll in the pedestal 9, the guide being connected by any suitable means 33 to the frame 2. The guide 35 is fashioned to simulate the flexible dispensing hose of a gasoline pump. At its free end, the guide 35 carries a dummy nozzle 3l, adapted to be inserted of the flexible element being connected to the bell crank lever 4B, and the opposite end of the flexible element being connected to the arm 29 of the pawl 26.

The operation of the toy is as follows. Theoperator lays hold of one of the turning buttons 2.9 and rotates the shaft l@ backwardly until the zero mark on the dial 2| appears at the opening i8 of Fig. l. The shaft I3 and the dials 2| are held against forward rotation by the coaction between the pawl 26 and the gear wheel 23.

Having set the machine to zero, the operator takes the nozzle 37 out of the opening 33 in the pedestal 9 (Fig. 2) and proceeds to imitate the filling of a gas tank on a car. At the appropriate time, the bell crank lever 43 is actuated and the flexible element 42 releases the pawl 26 from the gear Wheel 23. The shaft I9, responding to the spring 24, rotates until the proper numeral on the dial 2| appears at the opening I8, or until the projections 25 coact, with the highest numeral on the dial exposed at the opening.

A salient and important feature of the inven' tion remains to be discussed. It will be observed that the ends of the initial shaft 3| of the gear train shown in Fig. 3, are mounted to turn in inclined, upwardly prolonged bearing slots 43, formed, as shown in Fig. 4, in the side walls of the frame 2. When the operator turns the shaft IE,

by way of the vbuttons 23, to set the dials 2| at zero position, the ends of the shaft 3i of Fig. 3 i.:

rise in the slots 43. By this operation, the gear wheel 44 on the shaft 3| is moved out of mesh with its fellow on the shaft 32 next below. Consequently, when the operator resets the dial 2| to zero, it is not necessary to actuate the entire governor train of Fig. 3. When the buttons 20 are released, the shaft 3| moves downwardly in the slots Spf the frame 2, and the gear wheel d4 resumes its mesh with the lower part of the governor train.

In the modification shown in Figs. 8 and 9, parts hereinbefore described have been designated by numerals already used, with the suffix a. In this form of the invention, the frame 2 of Fig. 4 is omitted, and the pedestal 9a is used to mount the shafts and associated parts, the head Ma being assembled solely with the pedestal. Since the frame 2 is omitted, and since the pawl member 26a is pivoted at 2id on the laterally-separable pedestal 9a the element i5 that engages directly with the gear wheel 23a is located on an inwardly projecting arm L15, forming part of the pawl member 23a. The structure shown in Fig. 8 presents no peculiarities of operation that need be discussed, in view of what has been stated hereinbefore respecting the form disclosed in Fig. 3.

What is claimed is:

1. In' a toy simulating the appearance and gross operation of a filling station pump for dispensing motor fuel, a support, a shaft journaled in the support, an indicator carried by the shaft, means for rotating the shaft in one direction, spr1ng-actuated means for rotating the shaft in an opposite direction, retaining means releasably holding the shaft against the impulse of the spring-actuated means, in a position to which it may have been rotated by an operator, a flexible sheath permanently assembled at one end with the support,means for establishing a detachable suspension connection between the opposite end of the sheath and the support, an operating member slidable through the sheath and connected to the retaining means, and an actuating member connected to the operating member and movably mounted on the sheath.

2. In a toy simulating the appearance and gross operation of a filling station pump for dis pensing motor fuel, a support, a shaft journaled in the support, an indicator carried by the shaft, means for rotating the shaft in one direction, spring-actuated means for rotating the shaft in an opposite direction, retaining means releasahly holding the shaft against the impulse of the spring-actuated means, in a position to which it may have been rotated by an operator, a exible sheath assembled with the support, an operating member slidably associated with the sheath and connected to the retaining means, and a retarding mechanism comprising a second shaft and gears connecting the shafts, the support having inclined slots receiving the second shaft and serving, when `the first-specied shaft is rotated by an operator, to move the gears our of engagement, thereby renderingit unnecessary for an operator to actuate the retarding mechanism.

3. In a toy simulating the appearance and grossoperation of a lling station pump for .dispensing motor fuel, a support, a shaft journaled inthe support, an indicator carried by the shaft,

means for rotating the shaft in one direction, spring-actuated means for rotating the shaft in an opposite direction, retaining means releasably holding the shaft against the impulse of the spring-actuated means, in a position to which it may have been rotated by an operator, a releasing mechanism for the retaining means, and a retarding mechanism comprising a second shaft and gears connecting the shafts, the support having inclined slots receiving the second shaft and serving, when the first-specified shaft is rotated by an operator, to move the gears out of engagement, thereby rendering it unnecessary for an operator to actuate the retarding mechanism.

4. In a toy simulating the appearance and gross operation .of a filling station pump fordispensing motor fuel, a support including a base, an upright, a laterally opening trough-shaped frame provided at its upper end with a laterallyy opening notch, means for connecting the lower end of the frame to the base, a support about the frame and comprising laterally separable parts provided at their upper ends with cooperating notches defining an opening, means for attach- 

